Huayu: This celebrity doesn't follow the rules.

Chapter 78 Tian and Zhou's First Encounter (Almost 1000 words, please vote with monthly tickets)
"Brother, does it hurt? I'll be gentler with you."

Her strength fluctuated, but her eyes kept glancing at Jiang Ye's wallet on the bedside table.

"It's alright." Jiang Ye closed his eyes, immersed in his sister's emotions, and didn't notice her little actions.

Ten minutes later, Lin Xiaoman clapped her hands: "Alright, bro, my cooking skills are pretty good, right?"

As she spoke, she quickly pulled a 100-yuan note from Jiang Ye's wallet and stuffed it into her pocket, winking at him, "This is for your trouble, I'm going out to have some fun!"

Before Jiang Ye could react, he had already slipped out of the room like an eel, and the door slammed shut behind him.

Jiang Ye lay alone on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Lin Xiaoman stole a hundred yuan from him and ran away without even giving him a chance to bargain. It's true that the world is going to the dogs and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be.

He sighed, took out his phone, opened WeChat, and sent a message to Meng Ziyi:

"What are you doing?"

Less than two seconds later, the phone vibrated and Meng Ziyi's video call request popped up.

As soon as Jiang Ye answered the call, a delicate and smiling face popped up on the screen.

"Did you miss me, baby? Hehe, I missed you too!"

Meng Ziyi's voice was a little strained, and the background noise was loud, with the faint sounds of her friends laughing and joking, as well as promotional advertisements broadcast over the mall's loudspeaker.

Jiang Ye's initially gloomy mood was instantly dispelled by her smile, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up: "Going shopping?"

"Yeah! I'm shopping for clothes with my best friend!"

She leaned closer to the camera, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, "If you miss me, I'll go home right now and video chat with you!"

"Are you looking for something exciting?"

Jiang Ye was taken aback: "It's okay, have fun."

He paused, then asked, "By the way, did you receive the contract? Do you have any comments on the agreement?"

Meng Ziyi was taken aback and blinked: "Huh? I didn't look carefully."

"I received your contract, signed it, and sent it back to you by express delivery."

Didn't you say we had to hurry?

Jiang Ye: "..."

He was both amused and exasperated: "You silly girl, you didn't even know you'd been sold out!"

Meng Ziyi waved her hand with a grin: "I'm smart! Isn't this the contract you gave me? What do I have to worry about?"

"And you even got me the lead role in 'Love O2O'! Ah Ye, you're so kind!"

"vomit--"

From the other end of the video call, her friend exclaimed, "I got goosebumps!"

Meng Ziyi turned around and glared at him: "Shut up! I'm talking to my boyfriend!"

Jiang Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, have fun, I'm hanging up."

"Okay! Let's talk again tonight!"

After the video call ended, Jiang Ye stared at his phone screen, feeling slightly better.

He then opened Chen Duling's WeChat.

Their conversation was still stuck on Dudu's words: "Don't contact me again unless it's absolutely necessary."

He's been so busy lately, we haven't been in touch for over a month...

He hesitated for a moment, then typed and sent: "Teacher Chen, are you busy?"

The message was sent out and disappeared without a trace.

After thinking for a moment, he sent another message.

"What a terrible day, I got hit by a car."

This time, I received a reply very quickly: "Hit by a car? A car accident? How serious was it?"

Jiang Ye's lips curled up almost imperceptibly as he quickly replied:
"He's not seriously injured, just in a bad state. He just got back from the hospital after being treated there."

"……what happened?"

"Don't even mention it. My vision is a bit blurry now. The doctor said I need to rest. It's so difficult."

"What exactly did the doctor say?"

"He said that this problem is a bit special, and just taking medicine won't work. Maybe... you should video chat with a pretty girl, and your vision might become clear."

"...Eno!"

"Seriously! I even have trouble looking at my phone now."

"Then get some rest and stop playing on your phone. Goodnight!"

When Jiang Ye saw that she was about to run away, he immediately made a video call.

Refuse.

I dialed again, and was rejected again.

The two went back and forth there about 10 times before Dudu finally agreed.

The moment the video call connected, the screen showed Chen Duling's long, half-wet hair, with water still dripping from the ends, clearly indicating that she had just finished showering.

She sat on the edge of the bed, the warm yellow light from the bedside lamp behind her shining on her face, making her skin appear fair and rosy, even her earlobes had a touch of pink.

She was wearing a light apricot-colored cotton pajama set with a small rabbit embroidered on the neckline. The loose fit hugged her slender shoulders, giving off a lazy vibe as if she had just stepped out of the bathroom.

"Jiang Ye! Aren't you childish?!"

She started to speak angrily, "How old are you to still play these tricks? Using being hit by a car as a cover, who are you trying to fool? Would a doctor say something like that? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

She scolded him sternly, her words rapid and urgent, her eyes wide like a furious little rabbit. Though clearly angry, she possessed an undeniable charm. "And you always send messages saying you were hit by a car and it was so serious, but what happened? You seem perfectly fine! Stop with this nonsense..."

Jiang Ye held his phone and listened quietly without saying a word until she had finished nagging. Then he suddenly spoke up: "Dudu, I miss you."

The sound from the other end of the screen abruptly stopped.

Chen Duling's face flushed bright red, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears, and even her neck turned pink.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just bit her lip, her eyes darting away in a panic, not daring to look at the camera again.

Jiang Ye looked at her reddened ear tips: "I want to go to Xiamen for a few days after the New Year. You know the area well, so how about you be my tour guide?"

"I...I might not be available." Chen Duling's voice was barely audible, her eyes darting around. "We'll see when the time comes."

Before she could finish speaking, as if afraid of being asked another question, she quickly tapped the hang-up button.

The video screen turned black, and Chen Duling breathed a sigh of relief, raising her hand to touch her burning cheeks.

She got up, walked to the mirror, picked up the hairdryer, plugged it in, and the warm air brushed against her hair, making her half-wet long hair gradually fluffy.

The girl in the mirror was still wearing that light apricot-colored nightgown. The blush on her face hadn't faded, but the corners of her mouth had quietly turned up, and sweetness was slowly spreading from her eyebrows and eyes.

The hairdryer was buzzing, and as she stared at herself in the mirror, she suddenly reached out and pressed the stop button.

The room fell silent, with only the faint sound of the wind outside the window and the soft beating of her own heart, which she herself was unaware of.

……

On the other side, Tian Xiwei held a cup of bubble tea and eagerly pushed it in front of Lin Xiaoman, blinking her eyes as she asked, "Xiaoman, how is your brother? He's not dead, is he?"

Lin Xiaoman almost spat out the milk tea she had just drunk: "Cough cough cough... Tian Xiwei! Can't you wish my brother well for once?"

Tian Xi lay on the table with a worried look on her face, poking at her milk tea cup with her finger: "It's all over... Your brother is such a petty person, he'll definitely hold a grudge if I bump into him like that."

Lin Xiaoman sighed and patted her on the shoulder: "Hey, Xiaotian, take it easy."

He paused, then added, "I just hope this time I won't be implicated."

The two girls looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

Lin Xiaoman's eyes darted around, and she suddenly suggested, "How about this, you treat my brother to a meal? You can apologize, and maybe even act a little cute. My brother is actually quite easy to please."

Tian Xiwei immediately became alert: "You want to treat us to a meal? How much will that cost?"

She counted on her fingers, "I already spent quite a bit on the skateboard last time, and my allowance is almost gone this month..."

Lin Xiaoman slammed her hand on the table in exasperation: "Xiao Tian! Have you forgotten that you've already lost 1200? Don't you want to earn it back? You've worked so hard for so long, are you just going to give up like this?"

Tian Xiwei was instantly ignited with fighting spirit, clenching her fist with boundless energy: "You're right! It's just a meal, my treat!"

She added cautiously, "How about that mala tang place near our school? I know the owner well; he always gives me free ingredients and gives me a discount!"

Lin Xiaoman: "..."

"Who is my brother? Can he even eat that spicy hot pot? I'm so tired of it!"

Tian Xiwei retorted, "What does your being tired of the food have to do with your brother?"

Without blinking, Lin Xiaoman immediately named a high-end restaurant: "Let's go to Cloud Pavilion. The environment is nice, the dishes are exquisite, and it's especially suitable for apologizing."

Tian Xi's eyes widened slightly: "It's very expensive there!"

She suddenly realized, "Wait, isn't this the place you told me you wanted to go last time?"

Lin Xiaoman was startled and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Are you stupid! How do I know about this restaurant? My brother recommended it to me! He said their steak is especially delicious!"

Tian Xi stared at her suspiciously, but in the end she was defeated by the beautiful fantasy that she could get back 1200 and even make a small profit by pleasing Jiang Ye.

She calculated her savings from the New Year's gifts; although there wasn't much left, she figured she could still earn some more during the holiday...

"Fine!" she gritted her teeth. "Cloud Top Pavilion it is!"

Lin Xiaoman's lips curled up slightly as she lowered her head and took a big gulp of milk tea, concealing her triumphant smile.

This family will fall apart without her...

……

Genting Tower is a revolving restaurant located on the highest floor of the city center. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the city lights, crystal chandeliers reflect soft light, and the faint sound of piano music floats in the air.

Jiang Ye walked ahead with a dark expression, occasionally reaching out to support his lower back, clearly still suffering from the aftereffects of yesterday's "green belt incident".

Behind her, Tian Xiwei had dressed up for once, wearing a light pink dress and her hair was carefully styled, making her look much more well-behaved than usual.

Although she immediately revealed her true nature as soon as she opened her mouth: "Brother Jiang Ye, slow down, don't push yourself if your back is bad!"

Lin Xiaoman immediately chimed in, "That's right, brother, don't be so stingy! Weiwei treated you to such an expensive restaurant!"

Jiang Ye glanced back at them and sneered, "Heh, me being petty?"

The three of them had just sat down at their reserved table when the waiter handed them the menu. Before Jiang Ye could even open it, he heard a surprised voice.

"Mr. Jiang?"

Looking up, I saw two young girls standing not far away.

One of them, with a high ponytail and wearing a smart suit dress, is Zhou Qisi, a newly recruited designer at the company.

The girl standing next to her was Zhou Ye.

The little girl wore a beige knit sweater with light blue jeans today, and her long, black hair was draped smoothly over her shoulders, making her look clean and gentle.

She was looking at them timidly, her eyes filled with curiosity and a little embarrassment.

Jiang Ye nodded slightly, his expression softening: "Yes, you're here too?"

Zhou Qisi: "Yes, I came to my maternal grandmother's house for the Chinese New Year this year, and I didn't expect to run into you here! This is my younger sister, Zhou Ye!"

"Little sister, this is my company's boss, Uncle Jiang!"

Jiang Ye: "???"

(P.S.: Guys, if I were to update 8000 words a day, would you prefer 332 or 44?)
(End of this chapter)